Stepladder



Patented Mar. lfi, i926.

UNETEE stares PATENT orricu.

ARTHUR wALnnoN nnonen'rr, or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

s'rnrLAnnEn.

Application filed January 14, 1925. Serial No. 2,267. 7

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR WALDRONBnonen'r'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, inthe county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Step Ladders, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in step ladders, and i s objectsare: first, to provide a means whereby an ordinary step ladder may bereadily converted into an extension ladder; second, to provide a stepladder that may be extended or reduced to produce several differentlengths of ladder; third, to provide a means whereby the extension orreduction of the-ladder may be brought about a step at a time, and withwhich each extension step may be operated independently of the others.

I attain these objects by the mechanism and arrangementof parts shown inthe accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of theladder in its reduced condition. Fig. 2 is a like view wi h the upperpermanent step of the ladder shown in section to disclose the positionand manner of operating the spring catches that hold the extensiblesteps when extended. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the ladder extended.Fig. 4 is front elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectionalview of the back brace of the ladder with the extension part in placeindicating the manner of operating this part of the ladder. Fig. 6 is abottom plan of one of the steps, and, Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation ofone of he locking bolts with which the sections of the standards of theladder are held in place when the ladder is extended.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In the construction of this ladder I use telescoping tubing for he siderails, the lower, or main pair of tubes, represented at 1, being ofsufficient length to support several steps, as shown at 5, and each pairof telescoping sections of the side rails is de signed to support onestep as follows: The

which latter telescope into I; the step 5" is mounted upon the railsections 3, and the step 5 is mounted upon the rail sections 4:, asindicated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4:.

I prefer that the steps of this ladder be made of sheet metal with theedges pressed downwardly at rightangles with the tops thereof, and theends of said steps made to form ferrules, 12, that will pass around.vthe side rails of the ladder and are securely connected therewith as byspot welding, or kindred process. To the'lower sides of certain of thesesteps I secure spring catches, 6, having bolts 9 that are designed to bepassed through holes in the sides of the rails that support said step,and into holes in the next upper rail sections as indicated in the thirdstep up in Fig. 2, and as shown in Fig. 6 rendering it impossible tomove either section longitudinally relative to the other sections. Thebolts 9 of these catches, are forced into position through the holes inthe rails by means of springs 10, and are forced or carried backwardsout of said holes by drawing backwardly upon the knobs a, and eachsection of the ladder is operated separately and independen ly of allother sec-l tions of the ladder.

The back brace is composed of two pairs of telescoping tubes orstandards, 7 and 8,

the tubes 7 being pivotally connected with the top step 5" as at 0, andbeing tied togeth er, and supported by a brace 7', which latter isprovided with spring catches, as 9 actuated by the springs 10 and knobsb to pass into the holes indicated at f through the tube and into thetube 8, the tubes or standards being connected and supported by a crossgirt or brace 8, so the two tubes, 8, must always move together. Thestandards 8 may be made of tubing, or of solid metal bars, as desired.

The ladder proper, and the back braces or legs may be temporarily tiedtogether and braced by any of the well known devices for the purpose, asby the shelf or brace 13, hinged at (Z for easy adjustment.

In the construction of this ladder it is necessary that the side railsshall stand exactly parallel, hence I find it advisable to flare thelower ends of the rails outwardly, as shown at e, to supply suflicientwidth of base to avert the danger of the ladder tipping over sidewise,or becoming unsteady in its sidewise support when in use. step 5 ismounted upon the rail sections 2, 7

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new in theart, is:

1. In step ladder construction, side rails each made of several sectionsof round tubing having solid walls and telescoped together in pairs,steps made of sheet metal with downwardly folded edges and havingtubular bearings at the ends adapted to be welded around the side railsections, each side rail section having a hole through it on one sideimmediately below the end of the step, and each upper pair of side railsections having corresponding holes near its low r ends, spring actuatedlatches moun ed upon the lower side of each top step on each section ofthe ladder in position to be made to pass into the holes in the railsections and hold each section of the ladder in desired positions so theladder cannot be shorened or extended when the sections are locked inplace.

2. In combination with the elements cov- 15 ered in claim 1, extensibleback braces pivotally connected with the top of the ladder, said backbraces made of two sections, the lower section made to telescope intothe upper section, cross girts tying the side rails of each sectiontogether at their lower ends, and a convertible brace connected with theladder and with the back braces for holding the ladder in rigid positionwhen extended and in use.

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, J anuary 9th, 1925.

ARTHUR lVALDR-ON BLODGETT.

